Founding Herstory

In the fall of 1994, five young women: Zuleyka Heredia, Ricki Robles, Amelia Schustz, Erica Solorzano, & Bernadette Vargas decided to establish a new Chicana/Latina support group at UC Berkeley. This organization was created in order to give Chicanas/Latinas on campus an opportunity to find a home away from home, while providing academic and community resources and a family networking system through a basis of three pillars: academics, community service and collegial networking.As noble as these aims were, however, the infancy of Hermanas was not without its challenges. They had a hard time legitimizing the group with some of the other male Latino groups on campus and getting past the "party girl" image.

The first meeting was held at Casa Joaquin Murieta, the Chicano/Latino co-op near the UC Berkeley campus. Soon after, the founding mothers agreed to shorten the Hermanas Unidas letters to "HaU", with an emphasis on the "A" in HermanAs.

The first official general body meeting was then held in Wheeler Hall on the UC Berkeley campus, where the official HaU colors, motto, and logo were chosen. At that time, Hermanas totaled less than 15 girls and could all fit into two cars!

Hermanas Unidas has now developed into a fifteen year organization and has expanded into twelve chapters California campuses. The group has also grown tremendously in terms of its members, growing from the original fifteen members to hundreds of intellectual and aspiring young women.

Overall, Hermanas Unidas has grown to be not only an organization that fosters academic excellence or a foundation through which we empower our communities, but a true familia away from our loved ones at home. And regardless of where ever Hermanas may roam, one thing continues to remain true: ¡Once an Hermana, Always an Hermana!